Tippu Tip, born Hamad bin Muhammad bin Juma bin Rajab al-Murjebi (c. 1832-1905), was a Zanzibari trader, explorer and plantation owner of mixed Arab and African descent who became one of the most powerful ivory and slave traders in nineteenth-century East and Central Africa. Operating under the nominal authority of the Sultan of Zanzibar, he built an extensive commercial and political network stretching deep into the Congo basin, at times governing large territories as an effective local ruler, and later served European explorers, including Henry Morton Stanley, as a guide and intermediary. His career illustrates the deep entanglement of the East African ivory trade with the slave trade in the decades before European colonial partition of the region.
Facts
RoleArab-Omani ivory and slave trader, explorer, and colonial governor of the Stanley Falls District in the Congo Free State 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
How did Tippu Tip get his nickname?
The name imitates the sound associated with his firearms, and he gained it on his third expedition.
He was born Hamed bin Mohammed bin Juma bin Rajab el Murjebi. He gained the nickname Tippu Tip during his third expedition, in 1867 to 1869. The name is an onomatopoeic imitation of his firearms. On that same expedition he befriended the British missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
Connections
In Era
Source Wikipedia: Tippu Tip
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Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikidata: Tippu Tip
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Tippu Tip
WikipediaLead section, opening sentence, birth-death parenthetical
Tippu Tip, also spelled Tippu Tib or Tippoo Tib (c. 1832 - June 14, 1905), real name Ḥamad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jumʿah ibn Rajab ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al Murjabī (Arabic: حمد بن محمد بن جمعة بن رجب بن محمد بن سعيد المرجبي), was an Arab-Omani ivory and slave owner and trader, explorer, governor and plantation owner.
Lead section, opening sentence, birth-death parenthetical (death year)
Tippu Tip, also spelled Tippu Tib or Tippoo Tib (c. 1832 - June 14, 1905), real name Ḥamad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jumʿah ibn Rajab ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al Murjabī (Arabic: حمد بن محمد بن جمعة بن رجب بن محمد بن سعيد المرجبي), was an Arab-Omani ivory and slave owner and trader, explorer, governor and plantation owner.
Death section, opening sentence
On 13 June 1905, Tippu Tip died of malaria (according to Brode) in his home in Stone Town, the main town on the island of Zanzibar.
Death section, opening sentence (place)
On 13 June 1905, Tippu Tip died of malaria (according to Brode) in his home in Stone Town, the main town on the island of Zanzibar.
Early life section, first sentence
Tippu Tip was probably born in Zanzibar in the 1830s, although sources differ on the exact year.
Lead section, opening sentence, occupation clause
was an Arab-Omani ivory and slave owner and trader, explorer, governor and plantation owner.
Lead section, opening sentence, alternate spelling clause
also spelled Tippu Tib or Tippoo Tib
Early life section, third paragraph
Throughout his life, Hamad bin Muhammad bin Juma bin Rajab el Murjebi was more commonly known as Tippu Tip.
Tippu Tip: Gender
Operating under the nominal authority of the Sultan of Zanzibar, he built an extensive commercial and political network stretching deep into the Congo basin, at times governing large territories as an effective local ruler, and later served European explorers, including Henry Morton Stanley, as a guide and intermediary.
In Era: The Late Modern Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Infobox: born c. 1832; died June 14, 1905 (aged 68)
View the Source Wikidata: Tippu Tip
Wikidata Q458421, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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